


Melanie's Family

by aflawedfashion



Category: Snowpiercer (TV 2020)
Genre: Fluff, Found Family, Friendship, Gen, Humor
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-05
Updated: 2021-01-05
Packaged: 2021-03-15 09:27:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 823
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28561278
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/aflawedfashion/pseuds/aflawedfashion
Summary: After Ruth makes a dismissive comment about family, Melanie returns home to the engine
Relationships: Melanie Cavill & Javier "Javi" de La Torre, Melanie Cavill & Javier "Javi" de La Torre & Bennett Knox
Comments: 5
Kudos: 23





	Melanie's Family

“That’s the thing about family,” Ruth said as she and Melanie left the Folgers’ quarters, “it’s a complete sham, and we only romanticize it because we lost ours. Grass is always greener, as they say.” 

“You don’t actually believe that, do you?” Melanie asked. 

“Oh, absolutely. LJ gets worse by the day, and her parents do nothing to stop her or help her. They’re constantly miserable, but they won’t admit it because they won’t admit money can’t solve every problem. They lie to us, to themselves, to everyone.  That’s family.” 

“You’re turning cynical, Ruth.” 

“Oh, I’ve always been this way.” Ruth gave Melanie a playful smile and a waggle of the eyebrow. “I just hide it well.” Then she straightened her suit jacket and headed to the next car to solve the next crisis of the wealthy.

Melanie furrowed her eyebrows, an uncomfortable feeling rising in the pit of her stomach. Maybe she did romanticize the past, but the positive memories of her family were real. Sure, parenthood was more of a challenge than she could have ever prepared for. And yes, she’d gotten into a few fights with her own parents, but she loved them. And she’d give anything to have a family again.

\--

“Are you actually eating cereal for dinner?” Bennett asked Javi as Melanie entered the engine unnoticed. 

“And why shouldn’t I?” Javi asked. “It’s basically soup.” 

“Excuse me.” Bennett dramatically spun his chair around. “I must have misheard you. I thought you just said cereal is soup.” 

“I did.” 

“No.”

“Yes.”

“I think you need to get out of this engine more. All this time up here has clearly impacted your logical reasoning skills.” Bennett shook his head in disgust. “Cereal is not soup.”

“It’s a liquid-based food containing a solid component.” Javi shoveled a heaping spoonful of cereal into his mouth. “Mmmmm. Delicious soup.”

“It’s a sugar-based concoction dreamed up for children.”

“There are sweet soups and healthy cereals.” Javi leaned back in his chair. “You can’t win this.”

“Actually,” Melanie said as she sat down behind them. “I think it’s a salad.” 

They both turned to her with the most incredulous look she had ever seen. It took all her willpower not to burst out laughing. Luckily, she was an expert in telling lies and maintaining her poker face.

“The milk is the dressing you pour over the cereal,” Melanie explained. “Just like you’d pour dressing over a salad.”

“You both clearly need to get out more.” Bennett leaned back in his chair, running his hands through his hair. “I cannot live like this. I cannot turn into you two.” He stood up and swiftly exited the room, muttering under his breath. “I can’t do it. I just can’t do it. I’m going to go live in third, become a janitor. Find yourself a new engineer.” 

Melanie grinned, barely containing her laughter until Ben was out of sight. “That was worth it.” 

“Salad.” Javi nodded in approval and gave her a high five. “That’s genius.” 

“Thank you.” She smiled. “But you know, one day, he’s going to figure out we do this just to see his reaction.” 

“Until then, we have our fun,” Javi said. “And besides, I give him ten minutes before he’s back in here ranting about how snow-loving aliens are going to take over the planet while we’re stuck on this track, unable to do anything about it.”

“Oh god,” Melanie groaned. “Not that again.” 

“What can you do.” Javi shrugged, turning back to his computer. “Every family has a conspiracy nut.”

“In this family, I think we’re all the conspiracy nuts,” Melanie said. “After all, we did pirate a train and lie to everyone on board about it.”

“Oh, no, no, no,” Javi said. “ You did that. I just drive.” 

“Fair enough,” Melanie said as the engine door slid open again.

“Ok. No one talk to me about cereal ever again,” Ben stated as he marched back into the engine. “It’s the only way I can move forward with my life.” He gave stern glances to Melanie and Javi. “Agreed?”

They both mumbled their agreement. It didn’t matter anyway. They could find other things to torment him with.

“Good.” Bennett nodded and took his chair. 

“I thought you were done with us,” Melanie said.

“I was, but then I went into the real world, and someone asked me to ‘quick explain this whole eternal engine thing,’ and I realized I’d rather be with you two culinary illiterates than anyone else on this train.” 

“Low bar,” Javi said without looking up from his laptop.

Ben shrugged. “I might also sort of kind of occasionally like you.”

“Only occasionally?” Melanie asked.

“If you stop talking about cereal, I will consider upgrading that rating.”

“Deal.” Melanie turned to Javi. “So, what are your thoughts on hot dogs? Sandwich or no?”

“Fuck my life.” 

Melanie smiled. Ruth was wrong. This was family. And it made everything better. 

**Author's Note:**

> I turned to reddit to find the perfect ridiculous argument - that cereal is soup or a salad. Thanks, reddit. I take no credit for those ideas.


End file.
